jamaica - Cockpit Country

Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
■
JAMAICA
10,829 km2 ALTITUDE 0–2,258 m
2,780,132 CAPITAL Kingston
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS 15, totalling 3,113 km2
IMPORTANT BIRD AREA PROTECTION 44%
BIRD SPECIES 300
GLOBALLY THREATENED BIRDS 16 RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS 36
LAND AREA
HUMAN POPULATION
CATHERINE LEVY AND S USAN K OENIG
(WINDSOR RESEARCH CENTRE )
Cockpit Country. (PHOTO: GEOEYE/JAMAICA FORESTRY DEPARTMENT,
INTRODUCTION
Jamaica is the third largest island in the Greater Antilles lying
145 km south of eastern Cuba and 161 km west of Haiti. It is
235 km long (east to west) and 35–82 km wide (north to south).
Administratively, Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, and the
territory includes the Morant Cays (off the eastern end of the
island) and Pedro Cays (off the south-west coast). The island
is rugged with mountains and plateaus: much of the land is
above 300 m. The highest point is Blue Mountain Peak in the
Blue Mountains, a dramatically uplifted ridge-block of
Cretaceous metamorphic rock which rises sharply from the
coast. The eastern end of this block is capped in limestone,
which forms the steep and extremely rugged John Crow
Mountains. The Rio Grande, Jamaica’s largest river (by
surface-water runoff), separates the Blue and John Crow
Mountains. The centre and centre-west of the island is
composed of a massive limestone block with well-defined
features of a karst landscape, including doline, polygonal
(cockpit), and tower karst, large alluvial poljes (valleys), and
many sinkholes and caves. The best-developed polygonal karst
is found in Cockpit Country (the “type area” for cockpit
karst). A portion of the Cockpit Country aquifer drains to
the south-west, forming the Black River and Great Morass,
FROM
KRONOS IMAGES)
the largest swampland ecosystem on Jamaica. In extreme
western Jamaica, alluvial plains and rolling karst limestone
are punctuated by a Cretaceous igneous outcrop capped in
limestone, and known as Dolphin Head. Due to the island’s
geologic history of volcanic extrusion, subsidence, and tectonic
uplift, the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Cockpit Country,
and Dolphin Head are recognised as three “hotspots” of
adaptive radiation and endemism. The island’s forested
mountains and hilly interior are incised by steep valleys,
particularly in the east where erosion is now prevalent due to
the removal of forest cover. In the centre and west, the
limestone formations provide little surface water, and removal
of vegetation exposes a thin red soil.
Jamaica has a tropical maritime climate. In the lowlands,
the mean annual temperature is 26ºC, but just 13ºC at Blue
Mountain Peak. Rainfall varies across the island with average
annual precipitation greater than 500 cm in John Crow
Mountains, 250 cm in the highest parts of Cockpit Country,
and less than 75 cm in the Hellshire Hills—the driest part of
the country. Although it rains in every month, the heaviest
rains are from September to November, and again (but less
heavily) in May and June. The driest months are January
through March. Natural vegetation corresponds to geology,
elevation and precipitation, and ranges from very wet and
CITATION:
Levy, C. and S. Koenig. 2008. Jamaica. Pp. 205-219. In: (D.C. Wege and V. Anadon-Irizarry, eds.)
Bird Areas in the Caribbean: key sites for conservation. BirdLife International Conservation Series No. 15, Cambridge, UK.
1
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
wet tropical forest, particularly on the north side of the Blue
Mountains (where a remnant of elfin forest remains), and on
limestone (especially the John Crow Mountains and Cockpit
Country), to dry scrub forest, and dry woodland along in
coastal areas. The Forestry Department’s land-use figures (up
to 1998) broadly classify Jamaica as: c.30% forest (only 8%
of which is minimally disturbed or “closed broadleaf” forest);
30% mixed land-use (including plantations and fields); and
39% non-forest land-use (buildings/infrastructure, wetlands,
and bauxite and limestone-aggregates mining). Between 1989
and 1998, the greatest loss of forest land was in “disturbed
broadleaf”, and the greatest gain (44%) in “mixed land-use/
cover” (including “partly forested and partly bauxite lands”).
The expansion of bauxite mining accounts for much of this
latter change in land-use.
■ Conservation
National laws for biodiversity conservation in Jamaica have
lagged behind other legislation, but are now under scrutiny as
part of the process to update the Protected Areas Systems Plan.
The Wildlife Protection Act, originally passed in 1945 to
regulate sports-hunting and fishing, has been enhanced by many
regulations that attempt to address gaps, particularly in relation
to protection of animals. However, this act does not address
habitat protection or the conservation of flora. Habitat
protection comes under the Natural Resources Conservation
Authority Act (1991) which provides the legislative framework
for a system of protected areas and paved the way for the
establishment of marine parks and the Blue and John Crow
Mountains National Park. The island also has over 150 forest
reserves designated under the Forest Act (1996, and subsequent
regulations) which provides for the preservation of forests,
watershed protection, and ecotourism. Private lands declared
as forest reserves can be entitled to property tax exemptions.
Jamaica’s protected areas portfolio is biased towards the
forested mountains of the interior, leaving lowland and coastal
ecosystems under-represented. Most of the remaining forested
coastal areas are privately owned.
Recognition of Jamaica’s unique biodiversity has come
about slowly over the past 30 years despite an encouraging
start when, after the first United Nations Conference on the
Environment (Stockholm 1972), it was decided to amalgamate
the various national environmental commissions into one
agency—the Natural Resources Conservation Department
(NRCD). This agency was felt to have only advisory
capabilities, so it was expanded in 1991 to become the Natural
Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA). NRCA is
responsible for declaring and managing national parks, and
enforces the requirement for project-related environmental
impact assessments. The Forestry Department manages the
island’s forest estate, but the devastation wrought by Hurricane
Gilbert in 1988 revealed that forest resources were dwindling.
This led to the preparation of a National Forestry Action Plan
(in 1990), and a new Forest Act (in 1996). The new Forest Act
explicitly includes “conservation and sustainable management
of forest”, thus covering activities such as the protection of
forest resources for environmental services and biodiversity.
Conservation has not been completely neglected, although
financial resources are extremely limited. Due to insufficient
capacity in both the Forestry Department and NRCA,
management of Jamaica’s first national park (declared in 1990)
was delegated to the NGO Jamaica Conservation and
Development Trust (JCDT). Other NGOs to be mandated with
protected area management are: the Caribbean Coastal Area
Management (CCAM) Foundation with responsibility for the
Portland Bight Protected Area; and the Montego Bay Marine
Park Trust which has been given the mandate to manage the
Montego Bay Marine Park. Elsewhere, the Jamaican iguana
Cyclura collei project, lead by Dr Byron Wilson (University of
the West Indies), provides a focus for research and conservation
activities within the dry forest habitat (including a small forest
reserve) of Hellshire. In Cockpit Country, the Forestry
Department and Windsor Research Centre (Trelawny) are
working together to facilitate the work of three Local Forest
Management Committees—encouraging local community
engagement in sustainable forest resource use and management.
Even though an attempt to set up one agency to “provide
for the management, conservation, and protection of the
natural resources of Jamaica”, there are at least 34 pieces of
legislation that refer to the environment, e.g. Land Acquisition
Act (1947), Urban Development Act (1968), Maritime Areas
Act (1996)—not all of which are administered by NRCA, but
by other government agencies as well. Problems associated
with conservation in Jamaica include poor coordination
between the plethora of government institutions responsible
for the various laws and regulations insufficient recognition
of the value of biological diversity, insufficient funding, poor
enforcement, incomplete or improper environmental impact
Bauxite mining is driving habitat destruction in places like Cockpit Country and Mount Diablo.
(PHOTO: SUSAN KOENIG/WINDSOR RESEARCH CENTRE)
2
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
Black River lower morass. (PHOTO: VAUGHAN TURLAND)
assessments, and incomplete island-wide evaluation of
landscape and biodiversity values. While these issues are
inhibiting effective conservation action, there are a number
of significant threats are directly impacting Jamaica’s unique
biodiversity. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest
threats. With primary forest reduced to just 8% of the land
area, multiple factors (e.g. increased predation, increased
competition from invasive species, reduction of genetic
variability etc.) impinge on the long-term survival prospects
of the species populations that remain. Driving this habitat
loss, degradation and fragmentation is the expansion of
bauxite mining and limestone quarrying; residential, hotel and
resort developments (particularly along the coasts); highways
and roads; and, to a lesser extent, agriculture. Annual dry
season (or drought period) fires (started intentionally) have a
significant impact on woodlands and forests. Climate change
models are predicting significantly drier summers in the
Caribbean suggesting that fire risk will be of increasing
concern. Another consequence of increasing habitat loss,
degradation and fragmentation is the reduced resilience of
the remaining forests to stochastic events such as hurricanes
(or indeed the forecasted effects of global climate change).
The last serious hurricane to hit almost the entire island was
Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. More recently the trajectories of
hurricanes Allan and Charley (2004), Emily (2005) and Dean
(2007) carried them near or over Jamaica’s south coast. It
would be prudent for future protected area planning to
consider coastal vulnerability to hurricanes.
Alien invasive species impacting Jamaica’s native
biodiversity include small Indian mongoose Herpestes
auropunctatus, black and brown rat (Rattus spp.), dogs, cats,
and feral pigs. The impact of these species has not been
quantified although the mongoose has been identified as a
causal factor in the possible extinction of the (Critically
Endangered) ground-nesting Jamaican Petrel Pterodroma
caribbaea and Jamaican Pauraque Siphonorhis americana. It
was also thought to have contributed to the extinction of the
endemic Jamaican iguana Cyclura collei until a small
population was rediscovered in Hellshire Hills in 1990.
Between 1996 and 2008, the Jamaican Iguana Recovery Group
removed c.1,000 mongoose from the core iguana conservation
zone and operates a trapping grid every day. Snares are used
to trap and remove pigs from the core iguana area and from
the adjacent coastal fringe. Recent research has indicated that
pigs may be responsible for the loss of nearly all sea-turtle
nests in a given season. Invasive plants are also a threat. Where
natural vegetation has been cleared, exotic species frequently
out-compete native species, and forest fragmentation
facilitates their colonisation of new areas. Aggressively
invasive species which create biologically sterile monocultures
in Jamaica include Bambusa vulgaris, the Asian Nephrolepis
spp., Pittosporum undulatum, and Alpinia allughas
(contributing to loss of native species in the swamp forest of
the Black River Great Morass).
■ Birds
Of Jamaica’s c.300 recorded bird species, 124 breed (including
12 that are introduced) and over 170 species occur as wintering
Neotropical migrants, transients or vagrants. The Jamaican
avifauna exhibits exceptional levels of endemism, with 36
restricted-range species defining the Jamaica Endemic Bird
Orangequit, a species and genus endemic to Jamaica.
(PHOTO: HUGH VAUGHAN)
3
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
Table 1. Key bird species at IBAs in Jamaica.
Key bird species
Criteria
VU ■
■
250–999
Jamaica Petrel Pterodroma caribbaea
CR ■
■
<50
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
■
2,500
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
■
4,500
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
■
250
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
■
2,400–3,000
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
Caribbean Coot Fulica caribaea
■
NT ■
■
800
Royal Tern Sterna maxima
■
350
Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis
■
350
Least Tern Sterna antillarum
■
250–600
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus
■
2,500–3,000
Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
■
75,000–95,000
■
10,000
White-crowned Pigeon Patagioenas leucocephala
NT ■
Ring-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea
VU ■ ■
Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata
NT ■
Area, and 30 breeding species confined to the island (and
primarily to natural forest and woodlands). A number of the
restricted-range species are shared with neighbouring islands
(e.g. Vervain Hummingbird Mellisuga minina, Stolid
Flycatcher Myiarchus stolidus, Greater Antillean Elaenia
Elaenia fallax and Golden Swallow Tachycineta euchrysea are
all shared with Hispaniola). Five of the species endemic to
Jamaica represent four endemic genera: two Trochilus spp.
(streamertails), Euneornis campestris (Orangequit), Loxipasser
anoxanthus (Yellow-shouldered Grassquit) and Nesopsar
nigerrimus (Jamaican Blackbird). In fact 48 species are
endemic to the island at the genus, species or subspecies level.
Black-billed Streamertail Trochilus scitulus has the narrowest
range of all the island endemics, being confined (but abundant)
in the John Crow Mountains IBA (JM014).
The threat category and national population sizes of the
globally threatened birds are listed in Table 1. Although 18
globally threatened species occur on Jamaica, two of these,
Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera and Cerulean
Warbler Dendroica cerulea, are only known as vagrants and
have not been considered in the Important Bird Area analysis.
The Jamaica Petrel Pterodroma caribbaea and Jamaican
Pauraque Siphonorhis americana are classified as Critically
Endangered, and neither has been seen with certainty for 130
years although there are possibilities that the pauraque persists
in Hellshire Hills IBA (JM011) and the petrel could survive in
John Crow Mountains IBA (JM014). The Jamaican Blackbird
N. nigerrimus is considered Endangered as it occurs in small
numbers and only inhabits moist forest with numerous
bromeliads such as is found in the Blue and John Crow
Mountains, Mount Diablo, and the larger IBAs of the Cockpit
Country Conservation Area.
4
✓
2,500–9,999
Crested Quail-dove Geotrygon versicolor
NT ■ ■
Yellow-billed Amazon Amazona collaria
VU ■ ■
10,000–19,999
Black-billed Amazon Amazona agilis
VU ■ ■
15,000–19,999
Jamaican Lizard-cuckoo Saurothera vetula
■
Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo Hyetornis pluvialis
■
Jamaican Pauraque Siphonorhis americana
50–249
6,000
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
Jamaican Owl Pseudoscops grammicus
■
■
■
50–100
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus
The Endangered Jamaican Blackbird or “Wildpine Sergeant”,
one of Jamaica’s four endemic genera.
(PHOTO: HUGH VAUGHAN)
National population
West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea
Criteria
JM001
■
CR ■ ■
<50
Jamaican Mango Anthracothorax mango
■
Red-billed Streamertail Trochilus polytmus
■
60,000–120,000
Black-billed Streamertail Trochilus scitulus
■
60,000–120,000
Vervain Hummingbird Mellisuga minima
■
✓
Jamaican Tody Todus todus
■
✓
Jamaican Woodpecker Melanerpes radiolatus
■
✓
Jamaican Becard Pachyramphus niger
■
✓
Jamaican Elaenia Myiopagis cotta
■
✓
Greater Antillean Elaenia Elaenia fallax
■
Jamaican Pewee Contopus pallidus
■
✓
Sad Flycatcher Myiarchus barbirostris
■
✓
Rufous-tailed Flycatcher Myiarchus validus
■
✓
Stolid Flycatcher Myiarchus stolidus
■
✓
Jamaican Vireo Vireo modestus
■
✓
Blue Mountain Vireo Vireo osburni
■
Golden Swallow Tachycineta euchrysea
VU ■ ■
Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachii
■
Rufous-throated Solitaire Myadestes genibarbis
■
VU ■
90
White-chinned Thrush Turdus aurantius
■
White-eyed Thrush Turdus jamaicensis
■
Arrowhead Warbler Dendroica pharetra
■
Jamaican Oriole Icterus leucopteryx
■
Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus
✓
NT ■ ■
Jamaican Crow Corvus jamaicensis
Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
✓
EN ■ ■
✓
✓
✓
2,500–9,999
Yellow-shouldered Grassquit Loxipasser anoxanthus
■
✓
Orangequit Euneornis campestris
■
✓
Jamaican Spindalis Spindalis nigricephala
■
✓
Jamaican Euphonia Euphonia jamaica
■
✓
All population figures = numbers of individuals.
Threatened birds: Critically Endangered ■; Endangered ■; Vulnerable ■; Near Threatened ■.
Restricted-range birds ■. Congregatory birds ■.
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM002
JM003
JM004
JM005
JM006
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
The endemic St Lucia Warbler.
(PHOTO: GREGORY GUIDA)
Jamaica IBAs
JM007
■
■
■
JM008
JM009
JM010
JM011
JM012
JM013
JM014
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
50–249
✓
■
■
100–300
JM015
■
✓
1,000–2,499
100
4,000
300
250
2,400–3,000
6,000
50
500
223
250
25
30–60
250
250
50
1,500–2,000
1,000
4,000–5,000
70,000–90,000
4,500
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
50–100
✓
✓
✓
✓
500
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓ 15,000–19,000
✓
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4,500
✓
✓
✓
✓
300–700
100–300
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓
✓ 10,000–16,000
✓
600
✓
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3,000–5,000
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90
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5
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
A significant percentage of the Caribbean’s Brown Boobys nest in Jamaica.
(PHOTO: BRANDON HAY)
Thirteen seabird species nest on Jamaica and its offshore
cays, and the island is regionally important for four of these,
namely Masked Booby Sula dactylatra (over 50% of the
Caribbean’s nesting birds), Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata (c.30%)
and Brown Noddy Anous stolidus (c.30%) and Brown Booby
Sula leucogaster (c.20%). Given the serious decline in Jamaican
seabird numbers, their nesting sites (which includes coastal
areas and the offshore cays such as Morant and Pedro Cays)
urgently need active conservation management, research and
especially monitoring.
IMPORTANT BIRD AREAS
Jamaica’s 15 IBAs—the island’s international site priorities
for bird conservation—cover 3,113 kmJ, about 25% of
Jamaica’s land area. Many of the terrestrial IBAs overlap with
forest reserves or crown lands to some extent, thus some form
of protection is in place. However, only 44% of the area
covered by the IBAs is under formal protection, and active
management is minimal in many areas.
The IBAs have been identified on the basis of 53 key bird
species (listed in Table 1) that variously trigger the IBA
criteria. These 53 species include 13 (of the 16) globally
threatened birds, all 36 restricted-range species, and 14
congregatory waterbirds/ seabirds. It was not possible to
identify IBAs for significant (qualifying) populations of two
of Jamaica’s globally threatened birds, namely Piping Plover
Charadrius melodus and Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis.
However, C. melodus is known to occur (although not in
significant numbers) in Black River Great Morass IBA
(JM007), Portland Ridge and Bight IBA (JM010) and Yallahs
IBA (JM012), and L. jamaicensis has been recorded in Black
River Great Morass IBA.
6
Significant populations of the majority of Jamaica’s key
bird species are found in two or more IBAs. However, for
many of the congregatory species, significant (i.e. >1% of the
global or Caribbean population of the species) populations
are only found in one IBA (see Table 1). The Black River
Great Morass IBA (JM007) and Pedro Cays and Bank IBA
(JM009) support most of these populations, emphasising how
critically important they are for the maintenance of Jamaica’s
waterbird and seabird populations.
At least 47 terrestrial areas have been identified as
“potential Important Bird Areas” and the boundaries for
many of these have been used in the preparation of the
Protected Areas Master Plan. However, at present there is
Middle Cay, Pedro Cays and Bank IBA.
(PHOTO: BRANDON HAY)
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
Figure 1. Location of Important Bird Areas in Trinidad and Tobago.
insufficient information concerning the occurrence of
populations of key bird species at these sites for them to qualify
as IBAs. This clearly presents field research objectives for the
academic and conservation communities within Jamaica,
namely to clarify (based on quantitative data) the international
importance of Jamaica’s 47 “potential” IBAs.
State, pressure and response variables have been collated
for some of Jamaica’s IBAs, but should be monitored
annually at all IBAs to provide an objective status assessment
and highlight management interventions that might be
required to maintain these internationally important
biodiversity sites.
KEY REFERENCES
A ZAN , S. AND W EBBER , D. (2007) The characterization and
classification of the Black River Upper Morass, Jamaica, using
the three-parameter test of vegetation, soils and hydrology.
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 17:
5–23.
BEARD, J. S. (1955) The classification of tropical American vegetation
types. Ecology 36: 89–100.
BOURNE, W. R. P. (1965) The missing petrels. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club
85: 6.
D OUGLAS, L. AND LEVY, C. (2002) An estimate of the number of
Masked and Brown Boobies (Sula dactylatra and S. leucogaster)
breeding on Southwest Cay, Pedro Cays, Jamaica. (Unpublished
report).
DOUGLAS, L. AND ZONFRILLO, B. (1997) First record of Audubon’s
Shearwater and Black-capped Petrel from Jamaica. Gosse Bird
Club Broadsheet 69: 4–6.
DOWNER, A. AND SUTTON, R. (1990) Birds of Jamaica: a photographic
field guide. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
DUNKLEY , C. S. AND BARRETT, S. (2001) Case study of the Blue
and John Crow Mountain National Park. Trinidad:
Caribbean Natural Resources Institute. (CANARI Technical
Report 282).
FINCHAM, A. G. (1997) Jamaica underground: the caves, sinkholes
and underground rivers of the island. Kingston: University of the
West Indies Press.
GONSISKA, P. AND KOENIG, S. E. (2007) Epiphyte surveys in Barrett
Hut: Litchfield—Matteson’s Run Forest Reserve. (Unpublished
report).
HAYNES-SUTTON, A, AND HAY, D. B. (2002) Survey of migratory ducks
in Jamaican wetlands. Phase one: January–April 2001.
Mandeville, Jamaica. (Unpublished report for Natural Resources
Conservation Authority, National Environment and Planning
Agency and Ducks Unlimited).
GOSSE, P. H. (1848) The birds of Jamaica. London: John van Voorst.
G OSSE , P. H. (1851) A naturalist’s sojourn in Jamaica. London:
Longmans.
HEDGES, S. B. (1999) Distribution patterns of amphibians in the West
Indies. Pp 211–254 in W. E. Duellman ed. Regional patterns of
amphibian distribution: a global perspective. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press.
JAMAICA CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT TRUST (2005) Blue and
John Crow Mountains National Park: management plan (2005–
2010). Kingston: Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust.
(Unpublished report).
KOENIG, S. E. (2008) Black-billed Parrot (Amazona agilis) population
viability assessment (PVA): a science-based prediction for policy
makers. Orn. Neotrop. 19 (suppl.): 135–149.
KOENIG, S. E. (2008) Status and threat-risks to Jamaica’s two endemic
Amazon parrots. (Unpublished manuscript).
KOENIG, S. E., WUNDERLE, J. M. AND ENKERLIN-HOEFFLICH, E. (2007)
Vines and canopy contact: a route for snake predation on parrot
nests. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 17: 79–91.
7
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
LACK, D. (1976) Island biology: illustrated by the land birds of
Jamaica. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications (Studies in
Ecology 3).
LAWRENCE, V. M. (2005) Urban Development Corporation annual
report 2004–2005. Kingston: Urban Development Corporation.
(Unpublished report).
LEHNERT, M. S. (2008) The population biology and ecology of the
homerus swallowtail Papilio (Pterourus) homerus, in the Cockpit
Country, Jamaica. J. Insect Conserv. 12: 179–188.
MCCALLA, W. (2004) Protected Area Systems Plan: legal framework.
Kingston. (Unpublished final report).
MCFARLANE, D. A., LUNDBERG, J. AND FINCHAM, A. G. (2002) A
late Quaternary paleoecological record from caves of southern
Jamaica, West Indies. J. Cave and Karst Studies 64: 117–125.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (2001) National forest management and
conservation plan. Kingston: Forestry Department.
(Unpublished report).
MORRISEY, M. (1989) Our island, Jamaica. London: Collins.
QUAMMEN, D. (1996) The song of the Dodo. New York: Scribner.
RAFFAELE, H. WILEY J., GARRIDO, O., KEITH, A. AND RAFFAELE, J.
(1998) A guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton, New
Jersey: Princeton University Press.
ROSENBERG, G. AND MURATOV, I. V. (2005) Status report on the
terrestrial Mollusca of Jamaica. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia 155: 117–161.
SCHREIBER, E. A. AND LEE, D. S. EDS. (2000) Status and conservation
of West Indian seabirds. Ruston, USA: Society of Caribbean
Ornithology (Spec. Publ. 1).
STATISTICAL INSTITUTE OF JAMAICA (2007) Environmental statistics
downloaded from: www.statinja.com/env_stats.html.
STRONG, A. M. AND JOHNSON, M. D. (2001) Exploitation of a seasonal
resource by non-breeding Plain and White-crowned Pigeons:
implications for conservation of tropical dry forests. Wilson Bull.
113: 73–77.
SVENSSON, S. (1983) Ornithological survey of the Negril and Black
River Morasses, Jamaica. Appendix VI to Environmental
feasibility study of peat mining in Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica.
(Unpublished report).
TUBERVILLE, T. D. AND BUHLMANN, K. A. (2005) Ecology of the
Jamaican slider turtle (Trachemys terrapen), with implications
for conservation and management. Chelonian Conserv. and Biol.
4: 908–915.
WILLIAMS, S. A. (2007) Strategic management plan for the Royal
Palm reserve and the Negril Great Morass. Negril, Jamaica:
Negril Area Environmental Protection Trust. (Unpublished
report for BirdLife International and UNEP-GEF).
WILSON, B. (2008) Battling invasive predators to save the Jamaican
Iguana. Aliens of Xamayca 1(2).
WILSON, B. S. AND VOGEL, P. (2000) A survey of the herpetofauna of
the Hellshire Hills, Jamaica, including the rediscovery of the Bluetailed Galliwasp (Celestus duquesneyi Grant). Carib. J. Sci. 36:
244–249.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank Garfield “Jimmy” Basant, Marlon
Beale (BirdLife Jamaica), Herlitz Davies (BirdLife Jamaica),
Chandra Degia, Owen Evelyn (Forestry Department), John Fletcher
(BirdLife Jamaica), Gary Graves (National Museum of Natural
History, Smithsonian Institute), Brandon Hay, Ricardo Miller
(NEPA), Michael Schwartz (Windsor Research Centre), Ann Sutton,
Charles Swaby, Vaughan Turland (BirdLife Jamaica), and Byron
Wilson (Jamaica Iguana Project, University of the West Indies) for
their help in preparing and commenting on this chapter.
JM001 Negril
18°19’N 78°19’W
Hanover, Westmoreland
AREA 27,740 ha
ALTITUDE 0–280 m
HABITAT Forest, inland wetland, coastline,
mangrove
Environmental Protection Area/Nature Reserve
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Negril IBA is situated at the westernmost end of Jamaica. It
follows the boundary of the Environmental Protection Area
and embraces the entire Negril watershed including ecosystems
in the Negril Great Morass (Jamaica’s second largest wetland),
the Royal Palm Reserve, and the (limestone) Fish River and
Negril hills. The morass is bounded by the Fish River Hills to
the east, the Negril Hills to the south, and Long Bay beach to
the west. The Royal Palm Reserve is in the southern part of
the morass with its southern boundary being the South Negril
River which enters the Caribbean sea at Negril, Jamaica’s third
largest tourist resort. Private residential and commercial
developments (including tourist developments) are found
throughout the area.
This IBA is significant for 19 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds. More than 90 Vulnerable West Indian
Whistling-ducks Dendrocygna arborea now occur in the morass
(especially the Royal Palm Reserve), and there is a notable
population of Near Threatened White-crowned Pigeon
Patagieonas leucocephala. Yellow-breasted Crake Porzana
flaviventer is present and at least 17 species of Neotropical
migratory birds use the IBA in winter.
8
19
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
West Indian
Whistling-duck
■ Site description
■ Birds
2
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
✔
■ Other biodiversity
The Vulnerable Jamaican slider Trachemys terrapen (an
endemic freshwater turtle) and Jamaican kite swallowtail
Protographium marcellinus occur. The Near Threatened (and
endemic) morass royal palm Roystonea princeps and Caribbean
endemic anchovy pear Grias cauliflora dominate the Royal
Palm Reserve. The epiphyte Hohenbergia negrilensis is endemic
to Negril.
■ Conservation
Negril IBA is primarily state-owned land designated as an
Environmental Protection Area under the jurisdiction of the
Urban Development Corporation, the Petroleum Corporation
of Jamaica and Ministry of Agriculture. The Negril Royal Palm
Reserve covers c.121 ha, and is managed by Negril Area
Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT). A strategic
management plan has been developed by NEPT as part of
regional BirdLife/ UNEP-GEF project, and they coordinate
awareness efforts in the Negril area. The IBA faces multiple,
inter-related threats including: massive population growth
linked to an expanding tourism industry; unregulated (and
encroaching) development; wetlands drying out (as a result of
river canalisation); fires; invasive plants and animals; cattle
grazing; garbage dumping; flash flooding; and inappropriate
agricultural practices.
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM002 Dolphin Head
Forest Reserve/Unprotected
18°23’N 78°10’W
Hanover, Westmoreland
AREA 5,370 ha
ALTITUDE 100–544 m
HABITAT Forest, caves
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Dolphin Head IBA is an isolated mountainous area in
westernmost Jamaica. It includes the forested Dolphin Head,
Raglan and Bath mountains. These limestone mountains were
one of three “emerging islands” separated by seawater 10–15
million years ago, but now fully exposed to create the presentday island. The IBA supports well developed wet limestone
forest (evergreen seasonal and closed broadleaf forest). At
the heart of the IBA is natural, closed and disturbed forest
and forestry plantations, and these are surrounded by a mosaic
of mixed- and non-forest land-use, including bamboo,
sugarcane, pasture, small family farms and rural communities.
■ Birds
This IBA is significant for 25 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds, including the Vulnerable Ring-tailed
Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea. At least 11 Neotropical
migratory birds occur in the IBA, and seasonal altitudinal
migration is pronounced among some of the resident species
such as the Rufous-throated Solitaire Myadestes genibarbis.
■ Other biodiversity
Dolphin Head supports the highest density of endemic plant
species in Jamaica. At least four animals (a freshwater crab, two
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Jamaican
Spindalis
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Conservation
This small, isolated IBA is a mix of private and state lands. A
core forest area comprises three Forestry Department-managed
reserves—Raglan Mountain (101 ha), Bath Mountain (121 ha)
and Burnt Savanna (c.80 ha). Dolphin Head has been proposed
for national park status. Efforts towards conservation and
public education within the area are being undertaken by the
local NGO Dolphin Head Trust. The forests have been depleted
for over 300 years by the harvesting of fuelwood associated
with sugarcane and slaked lime production. Illegal timber
harvesting and clearance of hilltops for marijuana Cannabis
sativa cultivation occurs within both the forest reserves and on
private lands. Hilltop forest clearance has a profound negative
impact on the avifauna. The alien invasive (and predatory)
mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus and cane toad Bufo marinus
occur throughout this IBA.
Unprotected
THREATENED BIRDS
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
shrubland
■ Site description
Bluefields IBA is a spectacularly scenic, rural area on the
south-west coast of Jamaica. It comprises the large natural
harbour of Bluefields Bay (visited by pirate and Governor of
Jamaica Henry Morgan in 1670, and Captain Bligh in 1793)
and Bluefields beach (a popular bathing area) behind which
is a small wetland through which streams and the Bluefields
River percolate. A limestone mountain-range rises steeply
from the narrow coastal plain. There are remnants of pimento
(Jamaican allspice) plantations throughout the hilly areas.
Along the coast are narrow stands of mangrove. Wet forest is
confined to the deep, humid gullies on the mountainsides, while
the rest of the area supports dry forest and shrubland.
■ Birds
25
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
fireflies and a snail) are endemic to the IBA. Globally threatened
species include: earspot eleuth Eleutherodactylus fuscus (Critically
Endangered), pallid eleuth E. grabhami (Endangered), Jamaican
masked eleuth E. luteolus (Endangered), Jamaican bromeliad
eleuth E. jamaicensis (Endangered), green bromeliad frog
Osteopilus wilderi (Endangered) and the tree-roosting Jamaican
fig-eating bat Ariteus flavescens (Vulnerable).
JM003 Bluefields
COORDINATES 18°10’N 78°02’W
ADMIN REGION Westmoreland
AREA 4,660 ha
ALTITUDE 0–801 m
HABITAT Forest, coastline, mangrove,
2
This IBA is significant for supporting 25 (of the 36) Jamaica
EBA restricted-range birds (particularly in the forested gullies
in the mountains), with densities of Jamaican Tody Todus
todus, Arrowhead Warbler Dendroica pharetra and Jamaican
Becard Pachyramphus niger being particularly high. The
Vulnerable Yellow-billed Amazon Amazona collaria has been
recorded, but the population is unknown. Brown Pelicans
Pelecanus occidentalis roost in the area at night but appear to
breed on small mangrove islands to the west of the IBA.
Arrowhead
Warbler
2
25
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
A small population of the Vulnerable Jamaican kite
swallowtail Protographium marcellinus survives on the coastal
plain and a number of other less common endemic butterflies
occur, including Jamaican admiral Adelpha abyla,
Shoumatoff’s hairstreak Nesiostrymon shoumatoffi, Thersites
swallowtail Papilio thersites, Hewiston’s silver-spotted skipper
Epargyreus antaeus and Butler’s skipper Astraptes jaira. The
Vulnerable Jamaican boa Epicrates subflavus is thought to be
in the limestone areas.
■ Conservation
Bluefields IBA is an unprotected mix of private and stateowned lands. The local farming and fishing communities have
been sensitised of the need for conservation through the
Bluefields Peoples’ Community Association, and fishermen
have started to impose controls on illegal and poor fishing
practices. On land, the main threat is illegal timber felling,
slash-and-burn agriculture and uncontrolled housing
development (mostly confined to the coastal plain and the
main road that leads from Cave along the ridge of the
mountains). The naturalist Philip Henry Gosse spent from
1844–1846 at Bluefields Great House studying the flora and
fauna of the area, resulting in his two books “A Naturalist’s
Sojourn in Jamaica” and “The Birds of Jamaica”.
9
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM004 Catapuda
18°06’N 77°08’W
St Elizabeth, St James
AREA 15,735 ha
ALTITUDE 150–620 m
HABITAT Forest
Forest Reserve/Unprotected
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Catadupa IBA is located in west-central Jamaica and
comprises highly karstified (white limestone formation)
mountains supporting good secondary forest, albeit with
disturbed areas of cultivation and bamboo. The IBA includes
(on its south side) the Lacovia Mountains. It forms part of
the Cockpit Country Conservation Area and is just to the
west of Cockpit Country IBA (JM005), from which it is
separated by rural communities, agriculture, and Class B road
networks. Several rivers (including the Great River) flow
through the area giving rise to small pockets of alluvium. The
mountain range is steep in places and supports disturbed
broadleaf forest. Agriculture and small rural settlements occur
in the less steep areas and alongside the rivers.
■ Birds
This IBA is significant for populations of 31 (of the 36)
Jamaica EBA restricted-range birds, and seven globally
threatened (Vulnerable and Near Threatened) species. It
appears to be particularly notable for the Vulnerable Ringtailed Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea and Yellow-billed Amazon
Amazona collaria. Due to the relatively undisturbed nature
of the forest in some sections of the IBA, the site is probably
important for many wintering Neotropical migratory birds.
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Ring-tailed
Pigeon
■ Conservation
Catadupa IBA is a mix of private and state ownership. Included
within it are a number of forest reserves, namely: Fyffe and
Rankine, Mocho (a number of blocks) and Garlands (two
blocks), as well as the Croydon Plantation—a private
property—which has been accorded reserve status by the
Forestry Department. The area is relatively poorly known
biologically and targeted field-work is a priority. Threats
include illegal cutting of trees and saplings, clearance for
agriculture, and hunting. Importantly, Catadupa embraces
three watersheds (Great River, Martha Brae and Black River)
and provides connectivity with the main Cockpit Country IBA
to the east. The railway station at the town of Catadupa has
been declared a National Heritage Site.
Forest Reserve/Unprotected
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
Cockpit Country IBA is in west-central Jamaica within the
Cockpit Country Conservation Area which includes Litchfield
Mountain–Matheson’s Run IBA (JM006) to the east, and
Catadupa IBA (JM004) to the west, each separated by
agricultural communities and roads. Cockpit Country comprises
“cockpit karst limestone” and supports the largest contiguous
block of wet limestone forest on Jamaica. Surface water is
restricted to low-lying areas because of the limestone geology.
However, the IBA includes the upper reaches of five major
watersheds. The origins of Jamaica’s two longest rivers—the
Black River (which runs into Black River Great Morass IBA,
JM007) and Great River—are in Cockpit Country.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 33 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds. It is the stronghold for Black-billed
Amazon Amazona agilis (Vulnerable), with 90–95% of the global
population in the IBA, and is particularly important for Ringtailed Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea (Vulnerable). The
Endangered Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus occurs
in isolated pockets of humid forest. Golden Swallow Tachycineta
euchrysea (Vulnerable) was last reported in this IBA in 1982.
This IBA supports populations of Jamaica’s 67 resident breeding
landbirds and 34 species of wintering Neotropical migrants.
10
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
A small population of the Endangered Jamaican giant
swallowtail Pterourus homerus occurs in Elderslie (in the
south-east part of the IBA): it is unknown whether gene flow
is maintained between this population and the larger
population found in Cockpit Country IBA. Snail diversity is
high, and a recently recognised species, Pleurodonte catadupae,
is endemic to the IBA. Ipswich is the type locality for the
endemic plant Gesnaria jamaicensis.
COORDINATES
■ Site description
31
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
JM005 Cockpit Country
18°16’N 77°40’W
St Elizabeth, St James, Trelawny
AREA 63,935 ha
ALTITUDE 100–700 m
HABITAT Forest
7
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Black-billed
Amazon
9
33
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
Over 66 plant species are endemic to Cockpit Country. Globally
threatened species include: Jamaican giant swallowtail
Pterourus homerus (Endangered), Jamaican kite swallowtail
Protographium marcellinus (Vulnerable); Critically Endangered
Cockpit eleuth Eleutherodactylus griphus and leaf mimic eleuth
E. sisyphodemus, Vulnerable Jamaican boa Epicrates subflavus
and Jamaican slider Trachemys terrapen, and Jamaican flower
bat Phyllonycteris aphylla (Endangered).
■ Conservation
Cockpit Country is a mix of private and state-owned lands.
Seven forest reserves encompass c.29,000 ha within the IBA,
the largest being Cockpit Country Forest Reserve (22,327 ha).
Under guidance from the Forestry Department, three Local
Forest Management Committees have been established to
facilitate co-management for biodiversity conservation and
watershed management. Cockpit Country is threatened by
bauxite mining (prospecting licenses—now suspended—cover
75% of the area) and limestone quarrying. Conservationists
are lobbying the government to declare the IBA “closed to
mining”. Secondary threats include clearing for agriculture
and the encroachment of non-native plants following
agricultural abandonment. Illegal hunting occurs along access
roads and trails.
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM006 Litchfield Mountain–Matheson’s Run
18°18’N 77°27’W
St Ann, Trelawny
AREA 15,745 ha
ALTITUDE 400–930 m
HABITAT Forest
Forest Reserve/Unprotected
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Litchfield Mountain–Matheson’s Run IBA is in west-central
Jamaica. It forms the eastern flank of the Cockpit Country
Conservation Area, with Cockpit Country IBA (JM005)
situated to the west separated by rural communities,
agriculture, and roads. The IBA is the source of two major
rivers—the Lowe River and Cave River. It is an area of
limestone karst supporting moist forest and a rich community
of terrestrial and arboreal epiphytes. The forest is moderately
disturbed, resulting from a long history of selective logging,
plantations and continued extraction of saplings for yam
support stakes. Communities (involved in large scale yam
cultivation) have established around the periphery of the welldeveloped cockpit karst.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 30 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds. Of particular importance is the presence
of the Endangered Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus.
Large numbers (c.50–100) of the Vulnerable Ring-tailed
Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea congregate in yam fields adjacent
to the closed-canopy forest in order to feed on the immature
yam leaves.
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Yellow-billed
Amazon
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
Up to six globally threatened Eleutherodactylus and Osteopilus
frogs and the Endangered Jamaican giant swallowtail Pterourus
homerus are presumed to occur in the IBA although surveys
have not been conducted to confirm this. The south-eastern
corner of this IBA supports some of the highest densities (>100
species/ ha) of endemic snails anywhere in the world. It is likely
that the limestone cliffs support site-endemic plant species.
■ Conservation
This IBA is a mix of private and state ownership. At the core
of the IBA are two forest reserves—Litchfield–Matteson’s Run
(4,485 ha) and Hyde Hall Mountain (662 ha), both managed
by the Forestry Department—and Brislington Crown Land
(232 ha). Partly because of its proximity to the larger, wellknown Cockpit Country IBA, the area has not been well
surveyed for biodiversity. Bauxite mining is encroaching from
the east and is the single most important threat. A prospecting
license covering the whole IBA was suspended in 2007 following
strong public and community opposition. Other threats include
alien invasive plants which prevent natural forest regeneration;
the large-scale harvesting of saplings for yam sticks; and
invasion of Shiny Cowbirds Molothrus bonariensis (a brood
parasite of Nesopsar nigerrimus) along corridor gaps.
Ramsar Site/Game Reserve/Unprotected
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Black River Great Morass IBA is the island’s largest
freshwater wetland and lies on the coastal flood plain of the
Black River in south-west Jamaica. It consists of low
marshland with limestone islands, and supports human
habitation, grazing of livestock and cultivation. The lower
morass comprises the 5,700-ha Ramsar site and is bounded
on the west and north by roads linking the towns of Black
River (St Elizabeth’s capital), Middle Quarters and Lacovia,
on the east by Santa Cruz Mountains, and on the south by
the coast. The integrally-linked upper morass wetland of
streams, ponds and dykes (from rice cultivation abandoned
in the 1970s) is bordered by roads linking Lacovia, Santa Cruz,
Braes River, Elim and Newton.
■ Birds
This IBA is significant as a stronghold for the Vulnerable West
Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea in Jamaica, and
for important numbers of the Near Threatened Caribbean
Coot Fulica caribaea and White-crowned Pigeon Patagioenas
leucocephala. It also supports populations of 15 (of the 36)
Jamaica EBA restricted-range birds. Large numbers of Piedbilled Grebe Podilymbus podiceps have been recorded, and
regionally important populations of gulls and terns are found
on the coast. There are records from this IBA of the rarely-
30
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
JM007 Black River Great Morass
18°04’N 77°48’W
St Elizabeth
AREA 17,770 ha
ALTITUDE 0–5 m
HABITAT Forest, inland wetland, coast,
mangrove
8
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
West Indian
Whistling-duck
3
15
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
✔
seen Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculates, and the Near
Threatened Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis and Piping
Plover Charadrius melodus.
■ Other biodiversity
The morass supports important populations of the
Endangered frog Eleutherodactylus luteolus, the Vulnerable
American crocodile Crocodylus acutus, the endemic ticki ticki
fish Gambusia melapleura and the endemic freshwater turtles
Pseudemys terrapin and Chrysemys terrapin. Of 92 species of
flowering plants in the morass, 8% are endemic to Jamaica.
■ Conservation
The Great Morass is a mix of private and state ownership.
The area is a game reserve, with the lower morass designated a
Ramsar site (for which a management plan was prepared but
never implemented). The IBA and its species face many threats
including: illegal hunting; invasive mammalian predators;
introduced tilapia, catfish and lobsters; large scale illegal
cultivation of Cannabis sativa (with associated use of pesticides);
industrial and agricultural pollution; invasive plants, e.g. Alpinia
allughas; removal of trees for timber and fuel; fires in the reedbeds; over-harvesting of palm fronds and reeds; and infill for
development at Parottee. Guided boat tours in the southern
section of the wetland have exceeded carrying capacity.
11
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM008 Mount Diablo
18°15’N 77°10’W
St Ann, St Catherine
AREA 7,150 ha
ALTITUDE 200–900 m
HABITAT Forest, shrubland
Forest Reserve/Unprotected
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Mount Diablo IBA is located in the centre of the island, near
the community of Moneague and at the eastern end of a central
limestone ridge that traverses east-central to western Jamaica.
The doline and cockpit karst landscape once supported a “spinal
forest” that blanketed over 60% of the island. The original
native forest of Mount Diablo was dominated by the Jamaican
endemic Podocarpus purdieannus (a large gymnospermous tree).
During the early twentieth century, the area was logged
intensively and large areas converted to blue mahoe Hibiscus
elatus plantations. The Podocarpus is now very rare.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 31 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds. Importantly, the Endangered Jamaican
Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus still occurs in the area (in spite
of the decline in epiphytes associated with the loss of large
trees), as do the Vulnerable Black-billed Amazon Amazona
agilis (at low densities) and Yellow-billed Amazon A. collaria.
■ Other biodiversity
Four vascular plant species are endemic to Mount Diablo:
Dipazium montediabloense, Polystichum ambiguum, Lepanthes
tubuliflora and Psychotria coeloneura, none of which are on
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Crested
Quail-dove
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
the 2004 IUCN Red List. However, based on the extreme
habitat destruction occurring in this IBA, the population status
for each should be evaluated immediately. The Jamaican giant
swallowtail Pterourus homerus (Endangered) has been
extirpated from Mount Diablo within the past 80 years.
■ Conservation
Approximately 2,250 ha of the 7,150-ha Mount Diablo IBA is
a state-owned forest reserve. The rest is held by private
companies (e.g. bauxite companies) and individuals (<1,000
ha). Conversion of the forest for agriculture, forestry
plantations, rural settlement and, within the past 50 years, openpit bauxite mining, has left the forest severely fragmented and
secondary in nature. The populations of forest-dependent
species are presumed declining because of mining-associated
habitat loss, but the forest reserves do serve as vital refugia.
The severity and irreversibility of the bauxite mining requires
immediate conservation attention to protect the remnant forest
areas. Pits where mining was completed >10–15 years ago are
typically vegetated with herbaceous plants or non-native ferns,
but no regeneration of native woody tree species. Other threats
include small-scale farming, cattle grazing, illegal timber
extraction and illegal poaching of Amazona collaria, all of which
are facilitated by the extensive network of mining roads.
Wildlife Sanctuary/Bird Sanctuary
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Masked Booby
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Site description
Pedro Cays and Bank IBA lies c.97 km south-west of Portland
Point on the south coast of Jamaica (and 161 km from
Kingston). It comprises a group of small isolated coralline
islands emerging from the south-eastern edge of the Pedro
Banks. There are four cays—North-East Cay, Middle Cay,
South-West Cay and South Cay (now just an over-washed
sandy beach)—and associated shallow reefs, rocks and shoals.
South-West Cay is the largest. It is flat with a coast of
calcareous sand, gravel or hurricane boulder beach. The
vegetation comprises low bushes, shrubs and grass. Pedro
Bank is Jamaica’s main commercial and artisanal fishing
ground.
■ Birds
This IBA is significant for globally and regionally important
populations of seabirds. At least 25,000 birds breed on the
cays, with the colonies of Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata
magnificens, Masked Booby Sula dactylatra, Brown Booby
S. leucogaster, Brown Noddy Anous stolidus and Bridled Tern
Sterna anaethetus being particularly notable. Roseate Tern
S. dougallii also nests on the cays, but not in significant
numbers. The cays are used by Neotropical migrants as a stopover site.
12
31
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
JM009 Pedro Cays and Bank
17°08’N 78°33’W
Kingston
AREA 23,345 ha
ALTITUDE 0–5 m
HABITAT Coral islands, reef, coast, shrubland
6
✔
■ Other biodiversity
This IBA represents one of Jamaica’s last remaining healthy
marine ecosystems, supporting coral reefs, deep reefs, sea grass
beds, and coral cays. Both the Critically Endangered hawksbill
Eretmochelys imbricata and the Endangered loggerhead
Caretta caretta turtles nest on the cays in this IBA. The area
is the primary harvesting area for the largest export of queen
conch Strombus gigas from the Caribbean region.
■ Conservation
Pedro Cays are state owned. The IBA is designated the Great
Pedro Banks Wildlife Sanctuary, with South-West Cay a
designated bird sanctuary. In 2004, the Pedro Bank was
declared an underwater cultural heritage sit. The Morant and
Pedro Cays Act makes provision for licensing of all fishing
and the taking of turtles, turtle eggs, birds and bird eggs for
the cays. However, intensive fishing and high human densities
are endangering the survival of the bank as a viable and
functioning ecosystem. Fishermen occupy North-East and
Middle Cays, and the cays are regularly visited by fishermen
from neighbouring countries. The Jamaica Defence Force
operates a security post on Middle Cay, and The Nature
Conservancy’s Pedro Bank Management Project aims to
manage some of the negative impacts. Mice Mus musculus
are present and could be impacting the seabird populations.
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM010 Portland Ridge and Bight
17°44’N 77°10’W
Clarendon
AREA 4,200 ha
ALTITUDE 0–150 m
HABITAT Forest, shrubland, coast, mangrove
Protected Area/National Park
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Portland Ridge and Bight IBA is mid-way along the south
coast of Jamaica and forms the most southerly point on the
island. Along with Hellshire Hills IBA (JM011) and Brazilletto
Mountain to the east, the area is contained within the Portland
Bight Protected Area. Portland Ridge is an area of relatively
intact (but secondary) dry limestone forest on a peninsula that
projects into the Caribbean Sea and protects the waters of
Portland Bight. Portland Bight is a shallow marine and
wetland area with well developed mangrove woodlands, salt
flats, sandy beaches and offshore cays.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 17 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds, including a sizeable population the
endemic subspecies of Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachi
hillii. Significant populations of the Vulnerable West Indian
Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea and Near Threatened
Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata and White-crowned Pigeon
P. leucocephala occur although precise numbers are unknown.
Regionally important numbers of Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens and Brown Noddy Anous stolidus nest
on the Portland Bight cays. Shorebirds are reported as being
“numerous” in this IBA.
Bahama
Mockingbird
17°53’N 76°57’W
St Catherine
AREA 9,400 ha
ALTITUDE 0–200 m
HABITAT Dry forest, shrubland, mangrove
ADMIN REGION
✔
■ Other biodiversity
The Critically Endangered frog Eleutherodactylus cavernicola
is known only from two caves in Portland Ridge. The
Vulnerable Jamaican boa Epicrates subflavus and Jamaican
fruit-eating bat Ariteus flavescens occur, as do two thunder
snakes Trophidophis stullae and T. jamaicencis—both Portland
Ridge endemics. The “data deficient” blue-tailed galliwasp
Celestus duquesneyi may still survive.
■ Conservation
This IBA is a mix of state and private land ownership. It is
part of the 87,615-ha Portland Bight Protected Area.
Conservation management is minimal, with hunting clubs
providing some unofficial conservation. However, they are
also responsible for replanting dry forest with “bird feeding
trees”, creating a semi-monoculture in some areas. Pigeons
are hunted in August and September. Unplanned urban sprawl
is occurring within the protected area (involving 30 towns or
settlements) and natural resources (such as timber/ charcoal,
and marine products) are significantly exploited by the
residents, including over 4,000 fishermen. Port Esquivel and
Rocky Point port are within Portland Bight and handle
alumina, oil and other bulk cargos. Recent fires and hurricanes
have significantly impacted the dry forest.
JM011 Hellshire Hills
COORDINATES
17
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Site description
3
Protected Area/National Park
Jamaican
Pauraque
THREATENED BIRDS
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
3
17
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Site description
Hellshire Hills IBA is on the south coast of eastern Jamaica.
The hills project into the Caribbean Sea, forming the northeast side of the Portland Bight bay, and supporting dry
limestone forest and scrub. Portland Ridge and Bight IBA
(JM010) is south-west of Hellshire, and together with Brazilletto
Mountain these areas form the Portland Bight Protected Area
(Jamaica’s largest protected area). The IBA includes Great
Goat Island, an uninhabited 1-km 2 limestone cay c.1 km
offshore from the Hellshire Hills. Little Goat Island (which is
flat, sandy and heavily impacted by man and animals) is
“joined” to it by an impenetrable morass of mangrove swamp.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 17 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds, including the endemic subspecies of
Bahama Mockingbird Mimus gundlachi hillii. The Near
Threatened Plain Pigeon Patagioenas inornata occurs although
numbers are unknown. The Critically Endangered Jamaican
Pauraque Siphonorhis americanus, last seen in 1860, is
rumoured to persist in the Hellshire Hills. The mangroves
provide nesting, roosting and feeding areas for sea and
shorebirds.
■ Other biodiversity
The Vulnerable Jamaican hutia Geocapromys brownii and
Jamaican fig-eating bat Ariteus flavescens occur. Hellshire is
exceptionally important for reptiles: the Critically Endangered
Jamaican iguana Cyclura collei was rediscovered in Hellshire
in 1990, as was the “data deficient” blue-tailed galliwasp
Celestus duquesneyi in 1997. The Vulnerable Jamaican boa
Epicrates subflavus occurs, and a potentially new species of
Tropidophis snake was recently found.
■ Conservation
This IBA is part of the much larger Portland Bight Protected
Area. Management of the protected area was first delegated
to a local NGO, the Caribbean Coastal Areas Management
Foundation, and then (in 2006) to the Urban Development
Corporation (UDC). UDC has undertaken significant
planning and continued implementation of work on housing
developments/ solutions in Caymanas and Hellshire, seemingly
in conflict with the protected area designation. Conservation
management is in its infancy in the area with almost no
enforcement of environmental laws. The area is impacted by
pig-hunters and people extracting logs, timber and poles. The
dry forests are now mostly secondary in nature. The Iguana
Recovery Project is working to conserve Cyclura collei, and
inventory the area’s herpetofauna.
13
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM012 Yallahs
17°01’N 76°56’W
St Thomas
AREA 8,080 ha
ALTITUDE 0–730 m
HABITAT Inland wetland, shrubland, forest,
mangrove
Forest Reserve/Protected Area/Unprotected
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Yallahs IBA embraces an area along the south-east coast of
Jamaica in the rain-shadow of the Blue Mountains IBA (JM013).
It forms part of the watershed basins for the Yallahs and Morant
rivers, both of which have wide, rocky channels in their lower
reaches with deep deposits of alluvium. These rivers may become
intermittent in dry months, but then have torrential flows after
moderate rains. The IBA includes two natural salt ponds and
surrounding mangroves. The larger pond (up to 1.5 m deep)
covers 80 ha and is 10 times saltier than the ocean. The smaller
pond is less saline. Vegetation is characterised by (degraded)
xeric scrub and small patches of moister forest near to rivers or
in the higher elevations on Yallahs Hill.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 27 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds, including the Vulnerable Ring-tailed
Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea and Near Threatened Crested
Quail-dove Geotrygon versicolor. The salt ponds are home to a
regionally important breeding colony of Least Tern Sterna
antillarum. The Near Threatened Plain Pigeon Patagioenas
inornata and Piping Plover Charadrius melodus have been seen
in the IBA, but not in significant numbers. The salt ponds support
a wide diversity of migratory shorebirds and waterbirds.
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Red-billed
Streamertail
■ Birds
This IBA supports significant populations of 29 (of the 36)
Jamaica EBA restricted-range birds. It is the stronghold for
the Endangered Jamaican Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus, and
is important for the Vulnerable Ring-tailed Pigeon
Patagioenas caribaea and Yellow-billed Amazon Amazona
collaria. The Vulnerable Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus
bicknelli occurs in small numbers and Golden Swallow
Tachycineta euchrysea was last recorded in Jamaica in this
IBA in 1989.
14
✔
■ Conservation
Yallahs IBA is state owned, and includes the c.60-ha Lloyds
Forest Reserve (thus also a Game Reserve). The ponds are
designated as a protected area in the parish of St Thomas.
However, illegal hunting occurs in and around the ponds
regularly, and also along access roads and trails of the forest
reserve. The major threat to the Yallahs is residential
development and limestone and sand/gravel quarrying. There
are also deposits of high-grade gypsum and marble in the area.
Other threats include clearance for agriculture and the
encroachment of non-native plant species. Artemia (brine
shrimp) farming is being considered for the ponds, and water
extraction (for Kingston) reduces the Yallahs and Negro rivers
to intermittent streams in the dry season. Some conservation
(e.g. mangrove and tree planting) and public awareness efforts
are currently underway through NGOs (e.g. the Yallahs
Development Area Committee) which may be the genesis of
a Site Support Group for the IBA.
National Park/Forest Reserve
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
Blue Mountains IBA is a 16-km long mountain ridge of sharp
peaks across the eastern part of Jamaica. Much of the “Grand
Ridge” is over 1,800 m, the highest section being Blue
Mountain Peak, comprising Middle Peak (2,256 m—Jamaica’s
highest point) and East Peak (2,246 m). Lesser peaks and
ridges radiate from these. To the east of the Blue Mountains,
separated by the Rio Grande, is the John Crow Mountains
IBA (JM014), and to the west are the lower Port Royal
Mountains. Tall, wet forest persists on the north slope (below
1,000 m). The rest of the IBA comprises upper montane forest
which, however, has been much altered and is now used for
forestry, coffee production or subsistence farming. These
forests protect the watershed for Kingston.
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
Globally threatened species found within this IBA include the
Vulnerable Jamaican kite swallowtail Protographium
marcellinus, Jamaican fig-eating bat Ariteus flavescens and
Jamaican boa Epicrates subflavus.
COORDINATES
■ Site description
27
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
JM013 Blue Mountains
18°05’N 76°33’W
Portland, St Andrew, St Mary,
St Thomas
AREA 40,065 ha
ALTITUDE 200–2,256 m
HABITAT Forest
3
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Jamaican
Blackbird
7
29
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Other biodiversity
Approximately 20% of all flowering plants are endemic to
the IBA and 10 species are globally threatened. Five globally
threatened frogs occur: Eleutherodactylus alticola and E.
orcutti (both Critically Endangered), E. andrewsi and E.
nubicola (both Endangered) and E. glaucoreius (Near
Threatened). The Blue Mountain anole Anolis reconditus is
endemic to the IBA, and the Vulnerable Jamaican fig-eating
bat Ariteus flavescens occurs.
■ Conservation
This area is under private and state ownership, and most is
within the Blue Mountains Forest Reserve, itself part of the
larger Blue Mountain/ John Crow Mountain National Park.
The national park was the first protected area to be managed
by a local NGO (Jamaica Conservation and Development
Trust). Funding for management (e.g. ongoing reforestation
efforts and bird monitoring) has been and continues to be a
limiting factor. Commercial forestry started during the 1970s
has been scaled down since Hurricane Gilbert destroyed many
of the plantations in 1988. Clearance for agriculture permitted
the expansion of invasive plants which are now the focus of
control projects. The Forestry Department manage a dynamic
conservation program on the north side of the IBA in the Buff
Bay–Pencar area.
Important Bird Areas in the Caribbean – Jamaica
JM014 John Crow Mountains
18°04’N 76°22’W
Portland, St Thomas
AREA 14,235 ha
ALTITUDE 150–1,036 m
HABITAT Forest, shrubland
National Park/Forest Reserve
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
Black-billed
Streamertail
8
29
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
■ Site description
John Crow Mountains IBA forms the easternmost end of
Jamaica. This mountain range comprises white limestone
overlain by marine sandstones and shale resulting in an
unusual landscape of sinkholes and outcrops. It rises gently
from the east to a tilted plateau, and then drops abruptly along
a steep escarpment to the west. The IBA is separated from
the Blue Mountains IBA (JM013) to the west by the Rio
Grande. The ranges join at Corn Puss Gap, the boundary of
the parishes of Portland and St Thomas, for which this IBA is
a major watershed. Below 900 m the vegetation is wet
limestone forest (with tree-ferns and bromeliads), while the
plateau supports montane limestone thicket. Cultivation is
for cash crops including coffee, sugar cane and bananas.
■ Birds
This IBA supports populations of 29 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA
restricted-range birds, including the Black-billed Streamertail
Trochilus scitulus that occurs only in this IBA. Of the globally
threatened species that occur, the populations of Jamaican
Blackbird Nesopsar nigerrimus (Endangered), Ring-tailed
Pigeon Patagioenas caribaea (Vulnerable) and Crested Quaildove Geotrygon versicolor (Near Threatened) are particularly
significant. In the 1960s it was said that the Critically
Endangered Jamaica Petrel Pterodroma caribeae “still calls
at night” in this IBA, and it may yet persist.
■ Other biodiversity
Globally threatened amphibians include: Eleutherodactylus
orcutti (Critically Endangered), E. andrewsi (Endangered), E.
jamaicensis and E. pentasyringus (both Vulnerable) and green
bromeliad frog Osteopilus wilderi (Endangered). The Jamaican
giant swallowtail Pterourus homerus (Endangered) occurs
albeit in numbers reduced by collecting and habitat
disturbance. About 20% of the IBA’s flowering plants are
endemic to the area, 10 of which are Vulnerable.
■ Conservation
Most of the area is a forest reserve, and part of the Blue
Mountain/ John Crow Mountains National Park. The national
park was the first protected area to be managed by a local NGO
(Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust). Funding for
management has been and continues to be a limiting factor.
Threats include forest clearance for subsistence and commercial
agriculture, invasion of exotic plants, and collecting of epiphytes
for the local market. After Hurricane Gilbert (1988), whitetailed deer Odocoileus virginianus escaped from a collection and
spread throughout the north side of the IBA.
JM015 Morant Cays and Bank
17°24’N 75°59’W
Kingston
AREA 15,225 ha
ALTITUDE 0–5 m
HABITAT Coast, rocky and sandy islets
Nature Reserve/Scientific Reserve
COORDINATES
THREATENED BIRDS
ADMIN REGION
■ Site description
Morant Cays and Bank IBA lies 51 km south-south-east of
Morant Point—the easternmost point of Jamaica. This offshore
island group consists of three small islets grouped closely
together (c.1.5–2 km apart) on the summit of an extensive, 7km long crescent-shaped bank of coral, which rises from the
seabed at 1,000 m. The cays are low-lying, sparsely vegetated
(shrubs and grasses), and fronted by highly exposed reefs over
which the sea constantly breaks. North-East Cay is sometimes
divided into three parts as a result of the sea washing over
connecting sand spits. It supports a fishermen’s camp (with
huts and water tank) and a lighthouse at Breezy Point, the
easternmost point of the cay and of Jamaica.
■ Birds
This IBA is significant for breeding seabirds. The Sooty Tern
Sterna fuscata colony is one of the largest in the Caribbean
(up to 90,000 individuals). Numbers of Brown Noddy Anous
stolidus and Royal Tern S. maxima are regionally important.
Other breeding seabirds include Bridled Tern S. anaethetus,
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens, Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla, and Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis. The
RESTRICTED-RANGE BIRDS
BIOME-RESTRICTED BIRDS
Sooty Tern
CONGREGATORY BIRDS
✔
cays are also used as a stopover site by Neotropical migratory
birds. Small numbers of Audubon’s Shearwater’s Puffinus
lherminieri were discovered on South-east Cay in 1998 and
their population should be assessed. The Endangered Blackcapped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata was seen close by the IBA
in December 1997—a first record for Jamaica.
■ Other biodiversity
The cays are important as a nesting site for globally threatened
sea turtles, although the species involved are not recorded.
■ Conservation
The Morant Cays are state owned. Middle Morant Cay is a
designated nature reserve and scientific reserve. The Morant
and Pedro Cays Act makes provision for licensing of all fishing
and the taking of turtles, turtle eggs, birds and bird eggs for
the cays, and a fishermen’s camp was established by the
Department of Agriculture on the south side of North-East
Cay. However, there has been a serious decline in recruitment
within the seabird populations and Middle Cay has been
selected for monitoring of egg removal. A base camp is
established there for a month starting at the end of each April.
15